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Redefining the role of science & math mentors.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Over the past twenty plus years there has been a profusion of recommendations to enhance teacher preparation. Such recommendations have consequently increased the role of veteran teachers in the preparation of future teachers. This article will present perspectives of science and mathematics mentor teachers in order to provide a greater understanding of their role in teacher preparation.

Introduction

Among the more intriguing recommendations for improvements to teacher preparation are those that consider practicing teachers integral components to teacher training. The landmark Nation At Risk (1983) report recommended the involvement of teachers in designing teacher preparation programs over two decades ago. Nevertheless, prospective secondary teachers have traditionally received significantly fewer contacts with teachers in the field than their counterparts in elementary or middle grades pre-service programs (Johnston, Wetherill, and Greenebaum, 2002).

In 2003, Louisiana State University (LSU) faculty redesigned the way it prepares secondary teachers as a result of federal and state mandates. Auspiciously, the changes at LSU allow practicing teachers to be more instrumental in developing prospective teachers. Moreover, their involvement as mentors begins in the teacher candidate's junior year which is considerably earlier than LSU's previous approach. This article focuses on the perspectives of science and mathematics mentor teachers who participate in science and mathematics teacher preparation at LSU. It is hoped that their experiences will contribute to a greater understanding of science and mathematics mentor teacher roles in the era of highly qualified teacher preparation. For the sake of this article, highly qualified teacher candidates will be defined as teacher candidates pursing a major in a content area and a concentration in secondary education.

Background

Both informal and formal discussions about education have a tendency to focus on how to ensure teacher quality. Producing quality teachers is guided by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (1992) Model Standards that provides educators with guidelines for what beginning teachers should know. Additionally, it provides guidelines for teacher dispositions--that is, how they should think and act. Darling-Hammond (1998) points out that teachers learn best by studying, doing and reflecting, by collaborating with other teachers, by looking closely at students and their work, and by sharing what they see; and "this kind of learning cannot occur in college classrooms divorced from practice or in school classrooms divorced from knowledge about how to interpret practice (p.8)."

Most often, pre-service teachers arrive with preconceptions about teaching that reflect their own experiences and cultural representations of teachers. Thus, an important objective for teacher educators should be to help pre-service teachers investigate new images of teaching and learning (Coughlin, 2001). Cornell (2003) indicates that the mentor's role takes on a greater dimension in a field-based program than in a traditional student teaching situation. Student teaching typically involves...

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